A fuel rail supplies fuel to a plurality of fuel injectors that inject the fuel into the corresponding combustion chambers of the engine. Electromagnetic fuel injectors deliver fuel to the engine in metered pulses which are appropriately timed to the engine operation. The sequential energization of the fuel injectors induces pressure pulsations within the fuel rail that create various problems, including improper fuel distribution to the injectors, which can adversely affect tailpipe emissions and driveability, and fuel line hammering which results in vibration and audible noise.
It is known to utilize a damper inside the fuel rail to effectively minimize or dampen the pressure pulsations created by the fuel injectors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,827 issued Apr. 8, 1997 discloses such a damper. Two shell halves are welded together to form a damper having a sealed airspace disposed between two compliant side walls. The peripheral weld seals the airspace. The damper is positioned and held within the fuel rail using two damper supports. One of the supports is keyed and corresponds to a positioner in the circumference of the fuel rail to prevent rotation of the damper. These support structures are often difficult and expensive to make due to the intricate slots, grooves and keys required to receive the damper and maintain proper positioning. Also, the fuel rail itself must be specially designed to accommodate the support structures and damper. This may lead to larger fuel rails than are otherwise needed.